I was in investment banking in Morgan Stanley's corporate/finance group, where I worked on several technology IPOs in the late '90s. I transitioned to venture capital in 2000 because I was interested in funding new companies and ideas. In 2002, I diversified into multi-stage investing and funded more mature businesses for strategic growth. I really enjoy working side-by-side with the companies in which we had put our capital to work. Upon graduating from Wharton, I joined Oak Investment Partners, a premier venture capital firm, and now I focus exclusively on Internet and New Media investing. Almost daily I am able to apply knowledge and insights garnered during my two-year MBA experience at Wharton as I make investment decisions, help companies grow, and participate on their Boards.

The right MBA for a “post-MBA” role
It was really personal for me. I wanted to extend my knowledge, and I wanted to experience an MBA with people at the executive level. I had already passed the traditional two-year MBA path when I was promoted to a post-MBA role in venture capital. At that point, it didn't make sense to follow the standard path where my fellow classmates would generally have more limited executive experience. Yet I still wanted to learn the essence of an MBA, take some traditional classes, and expand my skill set in the areas where I had less expertise, such as marketing and entrepreneurship. Beyond gaining fundamental business skills through Wharton’s MBA program, the Wharton degree itself is a valuable degree to have when seeking positions within a sought after field like venture capital.

Insights on leadership
The leadership courses were insightful. Mike Useem's class, in particular, was useful in several ways. I have several leadership responsibilities, such as driving discussion in the Board room of my portfolio companies, and Mike's class was the first formal training I'd had in how to be a leader. The class also helped me to evaluate other leaders, such as entrepreneurs and business leaders of potential investment opportunities. A lot of my business is betting on the team, and this class provided me with solid frameworks and leadership skills to be successful.

Managing the workload
I’m married and had four school-age children while I was in the program, so managing work, school, and family was a huge challenge. When they say that your family must buy in to your decision, it's really true. There are several important sacrifices and tradeoffs. My husband was incredibly supportive and took care of the kids when I was away at school, and I was able to spend quality time with my family when I was home. My company was also very committed to my academic and professional success. In fact, I was pregnant during my last nine months of the Wharton program and gave birth to my daughter the day of graduation. I was able to complete the program on time though it took some significant support from my family, work colleagues, classmates and Wharton faculty / administration. In the end, the program does require a significant commitment from all key constituents because it is impossible to succeed in managing the demands of work, school, and family on your own.

Confidence to explore
I love what I do, and I truly enjoy working with entrepreneurs and strategizing on business growth and development. While I cannot imagine doing anything else, the executive MBA program has given me more confidence to consider other complementary paths, such as exploring the operational side and starting my own technology company or venture fund.